Harmonica



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN F. STRATTON, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

HARMONICA.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 423,642, dated March 18, 1890.

Application filed December 2, 1889. Serial No. 382,305. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN F. STRATTON, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Mouth-Harmonica, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of the invention is to provide a new and improved mouth-harmonica, which is simple in construction, and is provided with one or more resonating and tone-deflecting chambers to produce very rich and full tones when the instrument is played.

The invention consists of a resonating and deflecting chamber formed above and at the rear of the reeds to deflect the tones back over the reeds.

The invention also consists of certain parts and details and combinations of the same, as Will be fully described hereinafteigand pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both the figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective View of the improvement, and Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the same on the line 00 as of Fig. 1.

In mouth-harmonicas as heretofore constructed the sound after passing through the reeds passed directly to the outside through apertures formed in the rear of the coveringplates or in the top of the same. By this construct-ion the player was compelled to use a large quantity of air to play the instrument successfully, as the sounds passed out of the instrument without being retarded in the least; and, further, the tones produced were necessarily not very full and rich. By my construction, presently more fully described, the player needs but a small amount of air to play the instrument successfully, and produces better and richer tones.

The harmonica A is provided with the reed board 13, having the usual reedcells O either in both top and bottom or in only the top or bottom. In the cells C are arranged the reeds D, over which is formed the usual chamber E by the covering plate F, secured to the top and bottom, respectively, of the reed-board B.

I11 the rear of the reeds D is formed a reso nating and deflecting chamber G by enlarging the rear of the covering-plate I and in the front wall of the said chamber G are formed the tone-outlet apertures H. The crosssection of the deflecting-chamber G may be semicircular, square, or polygonal; but 1 prefer the curved form shown in the drawings.

hen the operator plays the instrument, the wind passes into the reed-cells 0, past the reeds D, to produce the tone, and then the latter passes into the chamber E, from which the tones travel rearwardly into the deflecting and resonating chamber G,which deflects each respective tone back onto its reed before passing through the apertures H to the outside. Bythus deflecting the tone on its reed thelatter is held in vibration, thus producing Very full rich tones. Atthe same time the chambers E and G retain the sound long enough to keep the chambers filled with vibrating air while the instrument is played, thus necessitating only a small quantity of air from the player while performing on the instrument.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A mouth-harmonica provided with a deflecting and resonating chamber, substantially as shown and described.

2. A mouth-har1nonica provided with a dcflecting and resonating chamber having airoutlets at its front, substantially as shown and described.

3. In a inouth-harmonica, the combination, with a reed-board having cells and reeds held on the said cells, of a covering-plate arranged over the said reeds and forming at its rear end an enlarged deflecting and resonating chamber, substantially as shown and described.

4. In a mouth-harmonica, the combination, with a reed-board having cells and reeds held on the said cells, of a covering-plate arranged over the said reeds and forming at its rear end an enlarged deflecting and resonating chamber having air-outlet apertures on the front wall, substantially as shown and described.

JOHN F. STRATTON.

\Vitnesses:

THEO. G. HosrER,

J. Snnowicic. 

